Pantheonic Shorts: Steel Binary
by AlterFF
Summary: Within the House of Gaming in the Trope Pantheon, Neptune had everything set for a fun game night alongside her fellow nerdy deities… That was until Noire decided on stopping by for a few other plans in mind.


_I return yet again to deliver more of my stories. And when I say that, I am referring to the first of what could be a little series of mine involving the Trope Pantheon of TV Tropes._

 _For the sake of convenience as well, the information and disclaimer for these shorts and their content can be found in my profile page._

 **\- Story Begin**

Huh… Well, the House of Gaming seemed just as packed as usual. Quite the number of Gods and Goddesses were mingling through the antics of a game or several, bathed by the myriad of lights in the retro expanse. Despite her rather low position at that moment, Neptune could still make out the looks of merriment around herself. She would have joined in without a second thought, but she was denied that glee by a certain Goddess of Black Regality…

She sighs to herself at her current predicament, being dragged by the hood of her short parka dress, "Noire, I will ask you this one more time. Could you let go of my hood? Pretty please."

Noire brushes her words off like nothing as she had her maroon eyes set on the House Gateway, "Don't you 'pretty please' me, Neptune. You're already lazing around as much as Tao. If you don't put any of that energy into helping out somehow, you'll just end up more like Plutia."

The Lastation Goddess… was not wrong in hindsight, but that did not justify the forceful dragging by hood. Neptune might think on adjusting her signature outfit after this whole trip through the middle of the area.

She begins squirming under her binds, a distressed look covering her face, "But my Game Night plans for today were still underway! I can't just leave Konata and Travis without some kind of notice!"

Noire sighs at the persistence of her associate, so she glances back down at her for a moment, "Just get over it already. You won't drop dead from a single day of not playing your little games."

Neptune pouts at the denial as she crossed her arms over her chest in defeat, "Where are you taking me anyway?"

Noire smiles to herself at the pertinent question, "We are going to attend a gathering in the House of Combat. I figured it would do you good to clean up on your swordplay."

Neptune glances sidelong at the haughty statement, her pout growing bigger, "You're saying that like I'm rusty…"

She kept her lean form up for both her nation and her temple, so she could bother roughing to some of her peers in the meantime… In spite of leaving her geek friends hanging behind. Hm… They better not be touching her stuff.

After the pair of black and purple reached the large doorway, Noire takes hold of its intricate knob, "House of Combat: Main Hall."

When a bright light began shining from behind its frame, Noire pulls it open, revealing another space of tremendous proportions beyond it, and she takes herself and her reluctant partner into this new area.

* * *

The House of Combat still held that same intense atmosphere, to the surprise of no one like Neptune. Seemed about right considering the the usual pastime within its own rustic expanse. That would have been the elegant practice of beating one another into submission, and the veritable cavalcade of training supplies attested to that. Noire herself looked preoccupied by another matter within the segmented area.

The Lastation Goddess was scanning the numerous platforms between the floor and ceiling for something, and she indeed found it going off her response, "There they are…"

Noire continues pulling on Neptune so that she could reach a particular staircase out of the rest. She proceeds on making her way up said stairs, knocking Neptune against its steps in the process. Upon their ascension to the new floor, Noire lifts Neptune onto her feet, setting her lilac eyes on what the big deal was.

And quite the deal it was in fact. The dense crowd before the the two of them held an impressive variety of Gods and Goddesses from a couple different Houses, not one without some form of armament on their person. Out of every warrior on the floor, one had checklist in his gloved hands. Neptune recognizes the man by the spiky hair on his head and massive sword on his back as Cloud Strife.

The Ex-SOLDIER notices the two goddesses during a headcount, so he approaches Noire, a welcoming smile on his face, "Hello, Noire. Got here just in time for enough of the meeting."

Noire returns the smile as she pat Neptune on the shoulder, "A pleasure to be here, Cloud. As you can see, I also brought along Neptune as a guest. Hope it's not much of a bother."

Cloud notes the attendance of the pair down on his list, "It won't be. Excluding you two, everyone else is here and accounted fo- Oh wait, everyone except Zoro. Figures… Welp, the rest of us were already finding groups to be in."

Noire nods at the explanation; and as Cloud returned to his tasks, she smacks Neptune on the back, knocking her out of her brief stupor, "Okay, Neptune. Go find yourself a buddy, and please don't think about sneaking away."

When Noire began strolling into the mass of deities, Neptune lets out a tired sigh. Seriously… Hm, at least she had some choice at this point in this matter. The Planeptune Goddess follows in the footsteps of her peer as she looked between the attendants across the floor.

Noire herself joined into a small group of female warriors, each one possessing a rapier of some kind. They were fencers of the elegant sort like of Weiss Schnee, Mitsuru Kirijo, and Orie Paladia, and they held a dignified air about themselves despite their… yeah no, they were each just about as cold on the inside too.

Neptune catches sight of various other circles having around gotten together amongst everyone. One of note would be Samuel Rodrigues chatting to Kenshi Takahashi and Uzu Sanageyama, the three famous swordsman on an apparent discussion about the benefits of blind swordplay.

Even Ragna The Bloodedge and Ruby Rose convened to a group, it including Yu Narukami and Hyde for the prospect of them crossing their blades as some point. Huh… Neptune saw the quartet interact quite a few times throughout the Houses, so she wondered what that whole exchange was about.

Neptune soon comes to a stop within the meeting, and she strokes her chin in a moment of thought. When a certain idea popped into her mind, she closes her eyes, and she holds a finger out before herself.

She begins shifting the digit across the span of the floor, a slight curve to its motion, "Eenie, Meenie, Miney… You."

She opens her eyes at the random choice, and she notices said individual by one end of the mass. He wore an intricate school uniform over his built figure, its pattern being a sleek one of black and white. Aside from those details, his facial matched that of your usual harem protagonist. She did remember sifting through his Ascension Report in recent time, so she had knew his name of Ikki Kurogane.

As Ikki was conversing to a swordswoman, Neptune begins strolling toward them both, and she waves her arm at him, a cheery smile now on her face, "Yo, Ikki! What up?"

Ikki says a few last words to the other girl; and when she split away from him in response, he turns back toward Neptune, "Hey, Neptune. Didn't figure you would come to an event like this on such short notice."

She waves off his words as she approached him, a coy smile on her face, "Eh, just Noire being Noire. Dragged me here against my will."

He raises his eyebrow at her statement, but he still nods his head at her in affirmation, "Ah, so I presume you wanted to pair up with me then?"

She shrugs her shoulder at him, and she points her thumb back toward the gloomy man who was near the back of the gathering, a monster of a sword also on his back, "It was either you or someone like Gutsy over there, so I chose the sensible route. Besides, you are still kinda new here, so I never did get to show you my skills."

Ikki gives a deadpan look at her alternative option, now in agreeance to her words, "Alright, the training rooms were already open for everyone now. You want to go use one?"

Neptune nods her head at him as she pumped her fists outward, "Do not mind if I do."

After he returned the nod, the pair walks toward one of the technological doorways which were for the training rooms of the House. It was built up into an angled frame, and it held a touch console beside itself for access.

He glances back at her as he began operating the aforementioned console of said door, "Any stage in particular?"

She shakes her head at him, "None really. You can pick whatever you like."

He accepts her words, so he presses for his own locale in the list, "Alright, plain it is."

When the metallic doors of the room slide open, he gestures her in toward the new zone beyond it, "Shall we?"

She moseys right on into the stage, an excited grin on her face, "Of course!"

After Ikki followed in behind Neptune, the doors to the room close off on their own.

* * *

The Grid was your usual fare for a Training Stage like itself within the Trope Pantheon. It held an indented grid pattern throughout its spacious interior, a solid red line marking the central points. Aside from those aspects, no other sounds bounced off of its flat surfaces whatsoever.

Neptune and Ikki themselves were standing a reasonable distance away from one another within the space, preparing for their spar. While she stretched her limbs out, popping some stiff bones into place, he was steadying his breath.

The Magic Blazer finishes his practice, and he gives the Planeptune Goddess an eager look, "Ready, Neptune?"

She straightens herself out as she returned the look in kind, "Ready as I'll ever be."

He nods his head at response, so he holds his hand out as he shut his eyes close, "Come to me, Intetsu."

When a greenish speck of light formed before his palm, he clenches it between his fingers, expanding it around his entire hand. He shifts himself to the side as he slammed the light into his other palm, bursting it into a greenish aura around his body. He then draws a glowing blade from within this light, and he swipes it to his side, dispersing the glow from a dark single-edged sword. He readies his mystical weapon for combat, both of his hands on its hilt.

Neptune whistles at the display as she wrapped her arms behind her head, "Huh, so you like to pull your weapon out of nowhere too. Good to see another great mind in the mix."

She smirks to herself as she widened her stance, and she holds both of her hands out. When a cluster of ethereal polygons materialized before her, coalescing into a sheathed katana, she grips it by its cover and hilt.

She draws the blade from its sheath; and as the cover dispersed back into the aforementioned polygons, she prepares herself as well, "Bring it on!"

As they began staring each other down, a silence takes precedence within the room. After several tense seconds, she lunges at him in a sudden burst of speed. He approaches her in kind; and when she brings her katana down in a heavy slash, he braces his blade against the strike. As his sword clashed against hers, sparks flying from the exerted strength, she eyes his stance, keeping watch for any openings.

He forces his sword forward, knocking her backward, and he keeps his posture steadfast. When she rushes toward him again for a series of wider swipes, he shifts himself away from each attack, his eyes on the flow of her movements. He begins throwing his own string of arcing slashes, parrying her own swings in a few shower of sparks. When she hopped into another slash, he pushes his counter toward the trajectory of that swing.

Her blade met that of his in a powerful collision, but it was sent flying from her hand by the force of his precise slash. As the katana stabbed itself into the floor quite a way behind Neptune, she kicks herself away from Ikki in an instant, coming to a stop right beside her weapon.

She yanks her katana out of the ground as she grinned at him, and she swipes the blade to her side, dispersing it into polygons muck like its sheath, "Huh… So this is that little 'Blade Steal' ability of yours."

He tenses up at the knowing words of her mention, "You knew of my technique?"

She holds her hands out once more, "Of course, fighters of the analytical sort like you aren't that uncommon around here. I noticed you trying to copy my style. Good thing I got to test out something out for just such an occasion."

More polygons materialized in her hands, forming another blade-like shape; and as she gripped it between her fingers, they disperse from a double-edged longsword.

As she tossed the new weapon between her hands, he squints his eyes at her testing the weapon out, "A broadsword?"

She gives it a few test swings, another smirk on her face, "Yup, just a neat addition I decided to make for my moveset. Still don't know whether to call it the 16-Bit Mega Blade or the 32-Bit Kilo Blade though."

When Neptune prepared herself again, her posture now less wide than before, Ikki returns to his stance. In the next moment, She darts toward him in a sudden lunge, at a different speed from before, and she throws a quick swipe toward his side. He grits his teeth as he blocked her strike, startled by her change in pace, and he guides her slash away from himself. She begins throwing a flurry of rapid swings; and as he holds himself against each one, she makes an advance in her sequence, forcing him backward in the process.

He notes the shift in her attack speed, so he adjusts his defense against her strikes. When he began parrying the through a pattern of ripostes, she scowls at his mirroring of her speed. She releases a hand from the hilt of her weapon; and when an identical sword materialized in its palm, she throws a cross slash at him. He flinches from the resumed shift in her weaponry, but he still backs away from her, almost receiving a graze to his torso.

Before he could recompose himself, she continues rushing at him, throwing a wild barrage of slashes. He gets startled by the relentless assault, but he braces his sword against the offense yet again. As the force behind each attack reverberated throughout his body, his feet began skidding in the ground. He forces the strikes back in retaliation; but when she directed her attacks in another tricky manner, he closes his eyes in a moment of focus.

When her blades passed through him like air, dispersing his form into a mist, her eyes widen at the sight. She stands her ground; and when her ears caught a sound behind her, she motions her swords together, combining their polygonal forms into her normal 32-Bit Mega Blade. She spins back toward Ikki who was descending toward her from behind, his sword primed beside himself.

He squints his eyes down at her noticing his maneuver, but he stills goes through on it, "Shinkirou!"

She tightens her grip on her weapon as she leapt toward him, "Chest Buster!"

Both of their attacks met one another in a massive clash, producing an intense shockwave which cracked the ground beneath them. The force behind the collision sends them both flying away from its center, knocking their weapons out of their hands. As their weapons vanished in their respective manners, they roll to a stop a bit of a distance apart from each other, huffing from their level of exertion.

Neptune calms her breathing; and after a moment of solace within the Training Stage, she hops back onto her feet in a spring, "Well… that was a fun scuffle."

She pats her cheeks as came up toward Ikki, and she offers him her hand, "Didn't think I'd have to pull all of that out on you."

He sighs to himself, and he accepts her help, getting lifted onto his feet, "It was an interesting bout. Quite the surprise for someone like you to counter my 'Blade Steal' through such a manner."

Neptune smiles to herself, her hands on her hips, "Not much of a surprise for me. I am just that awesome."

When the sound of clapping entered their ears, they look back toward the entrance of the Grid, noticing a certain pair nearby it. The two in question were Todo, the girl who conversed to Ikki earlier, and a samurai man who had armor of a rather strange resemblance to a lobster. The two were applauding the friendly match between the other swordsmen in the occupied area.

Neptune waves at the pair as she strolled toward them, Ikki by her side, "Sup, guys. What brings you two here?"

As the two pairs approached one another, Todo returns the wave, "We thought to check on you both since you were also using a room. Even got to see the last stretch of it on the room monitor."

The man gestures to Todo and himself, "Our own match did not last that long, so we had the chance to observe any other sparring. You two in particular came to our mind."

Neptune smiles to herself and Ikki, her arms back behind her head, "Well, aren't we just special."

Neptune takes note of the armored man, and she holds her hand out toward him, "Hey, you were one of Blanc's new friends, weren't you? Nice to meet you. I'm Neptune."

The man smiles down at Neptune as he accepted her handshake, "I'm Ryoma. I did just ascend with my siblings recently, so I am kind of new to many things around here."

Neptune brushes his words off, "No need to fret. There are enough nice people here to help you out. You have nothing to worry about."

As he nodded at her in affirmation, she glances aside, "Now if you all don't mind, I have something to get b-"

Neptune freezes up on the spot, sensing a intense aura watching her from afar, and she gravitates back toward her other peers. Well… returning to her Game Night was now a complete bust.

 **\- Story End**

 _And that is a wrap. Hope the lot of you liked reading through this, along with feeling generous enough to give it a helpful review._


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